Rescue Me
by ListenToTheRainDrops
Summary: After all I've put you through...how could you risk your life for mine' 'Because I couldn't leave you there.' It's a rescue that turns into something more. Zutara


A/N: Well, this story came to me late the other night so I was up till 1:30 writing down all my plot ideas into my notebook so I could come back to it in the morning and know exactly what I wanted. I'd have screamed if I had forgotten it. So, anyway, this is my first Avatar fic. I normally write and read Harry Potter fics in the Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger shipping section but I've found myself addicted to Zuko/Katara ones as well. I don't know if it's just me or not but I think that Draco and Zuko are very similar characters if you really look at them. Both are complex, intriguing, you assume they're evil but then they do something and you realize that they honestly do have a soul and a heart. I dunno…I love multi-faceted characters like that. Alright, this is my first Avartar fic, so be kind in your reviews! hint, hint, review please! This story takes place after the first season, in some random point in the second, but before they find Toph. So…on with the show!

A/N 2: Please be sure to read the ending Author's Notes.

Disclaimer- If I owned Avatar I wouldn't have to write fanfics about these two falling in love and hope it happens, because they'd already be an item…so, no, sadly, I don't own Avatar.

Rescue Me 

-Chapter 1-

The full moon was out bright that night and Sokka, Aang, and Katara were camped out in the clearing of the forest. They were only planning to stay for a few days though because it was rumored that the Fire Nation was on their way closer to them, as always, tracking the Avatar. They had been doing a lot of flying trying to find Aang an Earth Bending teacher while avoiding Fire Nation armies at the same time and Appa was in need of a good rest. The poor Flying Bison hadn't had much time over the past few weeks to sleep. So the group had decided that, since they had seemed to be keeping far enough ahead of the Fire Nation, they could afford to stay in the little clearing for a few days. This way, Appa could sleep, Aang could practice his new Water Bending techniques if they found a stream nearby, and they could go down to the small village and buy some supplies, such as food and bandages.

Katara decided a few weeks ago that keeping bandages around would prove to be a good idea since the last time Sokka went hunting, he tripped over a tree root, accidentally threw his boomerang up as he was falling and it came back and hit him. It actually gave the would-be hunter a good-sized cut on the side of his head. They didn't have any dressings for the wound and no clean water Katara could use to heal him with, so they were forced to stop at a small town so Katara could go to the local hospital and get something to fight off infection and a bandage to cover it with. Katara and Aang had a good laugh over it after it was all said and done and told Sokka he should start taking lessons from Momo because the lemur never injured himself when _he_ flew around searching for _his_ dinner. Sokka didn't appreciate the suggestion too much.

The three of them set up their sleeping bags and the two boys had fallen asleep an hour ago, Sokka saying they should get a good night's sleep because who knows when they might get another chance for peaceful, undisturbed rest. Katara had just lain there, looking up towards the heavens, gazing at the stars and then turning her attention to the moon. The exquisite full moon. Katara's Water Bending was always stronger on nights like this. The glowing orb seemed to call to her.

No longer feeling tired, she got up. They hadn't had time to really search the area before they set up camp so Katara didn't know where the closest body of water was located, but she figured if she looked hard enough she'd find something. After all, there was no harm in going a little way from the clearing. The Fire Nation wasn't here yet, so there was no real danger. And anything else that might have been remotely threatening could be taken care of with the water she kept in her pouch. That settled it, she was going to find a small pool of water and bend. Something inside her was telling her to, and it wouldn't let up until she did as it said. So with one last look at her brother and Aang, Katara secured her water pouch and went off in search of the liquid that gave her so much power and serenity.

The Water Bender had walked quite a distance from her companions until she found a little path of water that surely connected to a nice size stream. So walking alongside the path, she made her way towards the bigger part of the water. Katara was correct in thinking that there was a wider part attached to what she had found earlier and once she was to a place the suited her perfectly, she glanced up at the moon, closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and started to bend. Her movements were so graceful, anyone watching would have thought that she was part of the water herself, that they were one, and they wouldn't have been exactly wrong in thinking that. The look on her face was one of complete and utter tranquility. She bended and danced with the water for a long time. It was well into the night before she stopped. Before she set off back towards the clearing, she emptied the old water out of her pouch and replaced it with fresh. There. Now that she had that out of her system, maybe she would be able to get some shut-eye. Katara went to follow the stream back to where she had originally discovered it but couldn't remember from which way she'd come- east or west? Katara was pretty sure it had been the west, so, after securing her water pouch, she started making her way back.

While she was walking, she checked to make sure things looked familiar and she was certain she was headed the right direction. She hoped Sokka hadn't woken up during her absence. He would be so mad if he found out she had gone out by herself in unfamiliar territory. He'd go on and on about how he and Aang could assume she was safe but really had been captured by Fire Nation soldiers or something equally terrible. Katara felt bad for making him worry about her. She knew he'd hold himself responsible should anything ever happen to her. He would blame himself for not being there to help her when she needed him most. He'd been like that even since before their dad and the other warriors had gone off to fight in the war. When Hakoda had told Sokka it was up to him to take care of her, he'd taken the job very seriously. Her big brother was always there for her when it mattered. Sure, he may not have been able to take care of himself, but he always was watching out for her and Katara loved him dearly for it. She remembered the first time he really stuck up for her. She was little and this boy about a year older had taken her doll and was holding it high above her head so she couldn't reach it. Sokka had marched right over to him and demanded he give his sister the doll back. In response, the boy punched Sokka square in the nose. Katara got so furious she kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. He started to cry, dropped the doll, and hopped back to where all his other little friends were watching. As he was hopping away, Sokka stood up, shook his fist at the boy and shouted that he better never mess with his sister again or else. The bully looked back in fear and went faster. It was true she had pretty much gotten the mean little boy to leave them alone by herself, but it was the fact that Sokka had been there. He hadn't just stood by watching and left her to fend for herself. They were closer from that day on.

Abruptly, Katara looked up and saw a light a little ways ahead. Squinting slightly, she saw it was a small fire. Uh oh…Sokka was awake and waiting for her. This was not going to end well. Biting her lip in a mixture of slight anxiety and thought for a good reason to tell him as to why she was out till a while after midnight Water Bending. But as she got closer to the clearing, Katara started to notice that things didn't look exactly like she remembered. Then she noticed another fire, then another. _Oh no…this is not good…I hope this isn't what I think it is! _Katara slowed down, and went more cautiously along the outskirts of what now looked to be a big campsite. Along the edges sat medium-sized torches burning brightly. She'd have to beware not to get too close to them and be exposed by the light. The Water Bender stopped and listened hard for talking, moving, or any noises that would tell her that somebody was up and about. She heard nothing. Wanting to get a closer look to confirm it really was what she feared before she rushed back to Sokka and Aang and frightened them for no reason, she crept closer, making sure to keep her slender body hidden behind trees. _All right…if worse comes to worse, I'm standing close to a stream. I could freeze them all and run for it. But I'm gonna hope it doesn't come to that…_ Katara inched closer and closer to the campsite and as soon as she got as close as she dared to go, she peered through the trees and took a good look. Crimson colored tents and a short flag with the Fire Nation insignia on it confirmed her fear. _Everyone thinks the Fire Nation hasn't gotten here yet…we have to warn the townspeople. _Katara noticed that none of the tents were lit up inside, so she safely assumed that all the soldiers were asleep. That meant she could try to figure out about how many men were there.

As Katara moved silently around, concealed by the trees around the clearing, she counted the tents. When she'd gotten about fifteen yards from where she had originally started though, the girl noticed something odd. There was a tree just inside the clearing that had a bizarre-shaped trunk. Walking as quietly as she could, she slowly made her way closer to the tree. Something about it just wasn't right. As she got closer, she realized, to her horror, that there was a man bound to it. Moving forward a few paces more, Katara managed to catch a glimpse of his face in the moonlight and the discovery made her gasp out loud. _Oh my god…that's Zuko! _Apparently he heard her sharp intake of breath and his head immediately snapped up, his eyes looking straight into hers. Even though the only light was coming from the moon overhead and the torches a fair distance away, she managed to clearly see his face. Any anger she may have felt towards him instantly vanished when she caught sight of the state he was in. He looked terrible. It was obvious to see that when the soldiers captured the Prince, they were by no means gentle. His once flawless, not counting the scar, face was marred by several deep cuts across his right cheek. He had a split lip and another cut on his forehead. As Katara kept stepping slowly nearer to him, she was able to see that it looked like he'd been knocked into dirt or mud. That was mixed with dried blood near his wounds and you could see an ugly bruise staring to form on his cheekbone.

"Oh Zuko…what did they do to you?" Katara asked softly to the air. When she got to him, she stood directly facing him. She reached her hand out and gently put it against his injured face, careful not to hurt him. Surprisingly, he leaned into her warm touch and closed his eyes.

"I've gotta get you out of here." She said as softly as she had before. At this, he snapped his eyes back open and they widened slightly in disbelief when he looked at her.

"But you hate me…I assumed you'd think I deserved this. Look at all I've put you through." He said, keeping his voice quiet as well, but Katara could hear the deep shame laced in his words as he lowered his eyes.

"Never." Katara said firmly

"But I-" he started again only to be cut off by Katara.

"Shh…don't worry about any of that right now. I'm gonna get you out of here. I promise." The girl took the lid off her water pouch and bended the water out and froze it into a sharp icicle. Then she proceeded to cut at his bonds.

Finally, she cut through and unwrapped it from around his chest and the tree. He fell to his knees with a soft _thud. _As he sat there, Katara worked on the rope that bound his hands behind his back. When she got through that, she saw how tight it had been tied. There were deep imprints and his wrists were bleeding slightly in a few spots. She knew that they had to be terribly sore.

"Alright, can you walk?" He nodded slightly and, with Katara's help, managed to get to his feet. She could tell he was in pain and her heart went out to him. It broke her heart to see the once strong, determined prince look so defeated. Katara just wanted to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be all right. But now was not the time. Right now she had to get both of them safely out of reach of the ruthless Fire Nation, later she could worry about comforting the fallen prince. She and Zuko moved as fast as his injuries would allow, making sure to keep silent. If one of the soldiers discovered them, it would surely mean the end. So, not knowing exactly where she was going but believing that anywhere was better than where they were currently, the duo made their way out of camp, each praying to escape undiscovered. After walking a good hour and finding nothing, Katara could tell that Zuko was going to be too weak to continue very soon. They had to find some place, and the faster the better. So going just a little farther, Katara saw something and hoped it was what she thought it was. She guided her injured companion towards it and it was indeed what she'd wished for- a cave. _Thank goodness… _

"Come on, let's hide out in here till morning. Then we'll figure out what to do next." Agreeing, Zuko continued, with Katara's help, towards the opening of the shelter. When they reached it, Katara looked in to make sure that they were the only ones to be occupying the cave and went in. Moving almost clear to the back, just to be positive that they wouldn't be spotted from the outside, they finally stopped to settle for the remainder of the night. As soon as they quit walking, Zuko sank onto the floor and gingerly leaned his back against the wall of the cave. The girl stood still for a moment, watching him rest there with his eyes closed. _He looks so vulnerable…how can this possibly be the same person that chased us so relentlessly for so long? _Shaking herself from her reverie, she carefully began to move closer to him. She didn't know what to do to help right then, but she knew she couldn't just stand there watching him. Trusting her motherly comforting instincts to kick in, she sat down beside the defenseless boy that needed her help.

He slowly opened his eyes and raised them to meet her compassionate gaze. Even in the dark Katara could still see the shamed look on his face.

"It's okay. You're safe now. I won't let them hurt you again," she said gently as she reached up to brush a few stray strands of hair out of his bloodstained face. "Here…let me get you a drink of water. And I'm going to clean those up just as soon as I make a little fire," she said, referring to the gashes across his face. He didn't say anything, but continued to look at her with the same expression. Since he didn't object, Katara took it as saying that she could. She bended some of the fresh water she had just gotten from the stream into her cupped hands. She slowly put her fingertips to his lips and raised the heels of her hands slightly to allow small amounts of water to run into his mouth.

After he was done drinking, it took a minute or two of struggling to get the branches to catch fire. When she finally got it, she set about cleansing his injuries. At first she was going to use water to heal him, but decided against it. There was little left in it after everything she had used it for. So ripping a large chunk of material off the bottom of her dress, she poured a bit of water out of her water pouch onto it. She then moved so she was more in front of him and delicately touched the wet fabric to his cheek. When he didn't start to protest, she carefully started to wipe the dirt and dried blood from his pale skin. When she touched a particularly sensitive spot, he winced and closed his eyes again, but still said nothing. Then, satisfied that his cheek appeared better, she moved to his lips, then his forehead. When content that the damage was going to be just fine, she slowly took the makeshift washcloth over the rest of his face, removing the dirt from it. Noticing that the cloth was still wet and was fairly clean on the other side, she washed away the dirt and blood from his wrists so those wounds wouldn't get an infection either. When she finished, he looked a good bit better then when she'd started. She didn't see any blood soaked through the tattered shirt he was wearing, so she figured any wounds on his chest couldn't be helped with a washcloth.

"All done." She said with a note of happiness to her soft voice. He gently opened his eyes.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, then paused. "Why did you help me?" he asked genuinely confused. "You could have left me there and went back to your friends to get away…but you didn't. Why?"

"No, I couldn't have. I couldn't leave you like that. The thought to never even crossed my mind."

"Why? I thought you hated me? I mean, after all I've put you through why would you still risk your life for mine?"

"Zuko, even after all that's happened between us, you're still a human being and I couldn't turn my back on you and leave you there to suffer, no matter what. I'd have done anything in my power to rescue you. Nobody deserves what you've been through." She said with a sad smile.

"But-" He started.

"Shh…come on, don't worry about that anymore. Everything's gonna be okay now. I'm going to take care of you and you're not going to worry about the past again. What's done is done. I forgive you. Now, come on, I think you need some rest. Here…" she said and moved to sit at his side.

"Lie down." Katara commanded softly as she gently helped him to move onto his back and lay his head in her lap.

"Sleep. It'll help your wounds heal and you'll feel better in the morning. Okay?" He nodded his head in agreement.

"Thank you…Katara."

"You're welcome, Zuko" she said as she soothingly smoothed the hair from his brow. His amber orbs gazed up at her one more time and Katara swore she saw a hint of a smile, then he closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber.

Katara continued to look at the prince in her lap long after he'd fallen asleep. She shuddered to think of what would have happened to him if she hadn't found him when she did. It didn't seem like he'd been there long. Judging by his wounds he was probably captured at some point during that day. If she hadn't come along when she did…there was a chance that Zuko may not have made it much longer if the soldiers continued abusing him like they did today. _Those monsters…how could they do this to someone, let alone their Prince?_ Katara realized that she'd been wrong all those times when she thought that Zuko was evil. He wasn't evil. If he were, he wouldn't have gotten that look in his eyes when she said she was going to rescue him, or when she told him she forgave him. His look definitely was that of shock and confusion. But there was something else too. Something she'd never seen reflected in his eyes before…and Katara thought for sure that it was hope.

The Waterbender started to realize just how exhausted she was. After not having sleep for so long, then having the task of getting Zuko out of reach of the Fire Nation and helping him to walk all that time trying to find someplace they could hide…she was nearly drained of her energy. The girl leaned up against the side of the cave and fell asleep, her hands resting lightly at Zuko's collarbone.

A/N: **IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! **Alrighty, first off, I'd just like to thank you for reading my story. I hope you liked it. If you did, it'd be nice if you'd review and tell me so. I originally intended to make this a really long one-shot but then I decided that I'd make it at least a two-shot. But now I have some big plans for this story so it might just turn out to be at least five chapters. I have the whole thing neatly planned out, so it shouldn't take me long to type it and post it up here. And one more thing, I'm looking for a beta. I would greatly, greatly appreciate someone's assistance with editing. If you're interested, please let me know. See my profile for details. Thanks!

-ListenToTheRainDrops-


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